Printing and registering mechanism



July 23, 1929. A. H. PITNEY ET AL 1,721,790

PRINTING AND REGISTERING HEQI'IANISM Original Filed April 5. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IOO IOOF

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TOHN vs July 23, 1929. H. PITNEY ET AL 1,721,790

' PRINTING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM Original.Filed April 5. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 I 9/ L 1' i: 9 I 1%" Z* I "H' I l l I r 1 I J f MH'HM i05 I I g g i 7 fi r!!! K I I |oi 5 I06 ii INVENTORZ ARTHUR H. PlTNE 6 W- OEi-DEN Patented Juiy 23, 1929.

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ARTHUR H. PITNEY AND JACOB W. OGDEN, F STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO PITNEY-BOWES POSTAGE METER COMPANY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PRINTING AND REGISTERING I/IECHANISM.

Original application filed April 5, 1922, Serial No. 549,734. Divided and this application filed December 9, 1926. Serial No. 153,568.

This case is a division of our application Serial No. 549,734, filed April 5, 1922, for printing and registering mechanisms (Patent No. 1,680,113 Aug. 7, 1928), and is filed in compliance with ofiicial requirements for division of the aforesaid application.

This invention relates to a machine designed for use by persons, firms or corporations having a great number of letters or packages to mail, to enable such users of the mail to buy any desired amount of prepaid postage from the Government, and print such amount of stamps by this machine in any quantities that they desire, from time to time, until the total amount of postage which they purchased is exhausted; at Which time the machine will automatically become locked so that no further stamps can be printed thereby all as fully explained in our aforesaid patent.

We will explain the invention with ref? erence to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, which, however, is capable of 2 changes in form, construction and combinations'of parts within thescope of the invention. An understanding of said machine will enable others to adopt and use the invention for various purposes within the scope of the claims, which set forth the essentials of the invention and the novel features of construction and novel combinations of parts for all of which protection is desired.

In said drawings: I

Figure l is a side View of the complete machine;

Figures 2 and 3 show an enlarged sectional elevation of the printing member operating devices, and the impression member.

The machine as shown in the drawings comprises (1) a suit-able base or support on which is mounted the printing means, comprising an adjustable stamp carrier containing a multiple of stamp carrying dies or mem- 45 bers and means whereby any one of such memhere can be operated when properly positioned at the printing point; means for feeding a strip of paper past the printing point; (3) a meter containing registering mechanism adapted to be operated by the mechanism I which operates the stamp and paper feeding devices when the machine is in condition for and to register the money value ity of the stamps printed by the machine, when the machineis adapted for use .as a postage meter, in accordance with the value ofthe stamp printed. I I

The printing means and meter are mounted upon abase plate 103, which is fastened to a top 1 of a suitable hollow supporting member or trough 2 which is mounted upon a suitable floor stand 3 and supports the operative parts at about the height of an ordinary table inconvenient position for manipulation by the operator. The meter 200 is, also de tachably attached to this plate 103 beside the printing mechanism as hereinafter explained. The paper feeding devices are mounted upon the top 1 in proper relation to the printing devices; and the main operating mechanism and the tripdevices controlling the operations of the machine are preferably arranged beneath the plate 1 within the member 2. s

The printing mechanisms are principally mounted on and in a boxlike casting 102, the open bottom side of which is completely closed by the plate 103, which plate-projects a suflicient distance in frontof the casting 102 to form a seat for the meter. All these parts are fully illustrated and explained in the holder of the key, who should be a responsible person. I I

It is not intended that the printing means shall be frequently removedfrom the machine, but if on demand it should be necessary to-check it up with its meter it will be easily detached, if mounted in a slide similar to the meter. Taking it oil the machine does however, for it is still sealed by one or more of bottom cover screws 130, above mentioned.

I The printing devices. In the construction'shownin the drawings the print ng mechanism comprises a pluralpf pr nters or dies one foreach denomi:

r1? used mum not give access to the internal mechanism on a rotatable support. These stamps. are mounted on vertical spindles journaled in a rotatable member 100 which may be conveniently formed of suitable castings.

The part 100 carrying the printers or dies is fitted on a cylindrical standard rising from the top of the supporting casting or box 102 hereinafter more fully described.

The printers or dies P may be of any suitable kind. As shown'they comprise a sleeve 115 having a radial projection on the peripheral face of which appears the desired'printing surface; as indicated in the drawings. Each printer is mounted on a die shaft 112 which has projections orkeys 112A on its opposite sides. These keys are turned off at the upper end where the shaft is journalled in the upper bearing 114. A flanged sleeve 112B fitting over and enclosing the keys, acts as a journal for the lower end of the shaft 112 and runs in the bearing 113. At the extreme lower end of the shaft 112 a flanged collar 1126 is securely pinned; its lower endpassing through the plate 101 is slotted to fit the tongue of an Oldham coupling 108. The flanged upper end of the collar 112C bears against the flange of the sleeve 11213 on one side and against the inner side of the plate 101 on the other preventing any vertical motion of the spindle 112. The printer die 115 is key slotted to fit the keys 112A on die shaft 112, and with the spacing collars 1 15A and 115B occupies all the space between the upper and lower bearings 114 and 113.

Each-die or printing member is provided with suitable inking means, which may be of, any suitable kind, but are preferably constructed as'explained in our aforesaid patent.

A- spring catch 125, Figs. 1 and 2, is mounted onthe case 102 and can be engaged in any one of the notches 100F cut on the rim of the rotating head 100, so that any one of the several dies may be correctly alined, with the shaft 104 in the base or inprinting position. There is one notch 100F for each printing member or die, and one extra notch is provid ed and'so located that when it is engaged by the catch 125, none of the dies will be in printing position. It is only when the headlOO is set in this neutral or ineffective printing position that the meter can be removed, as herein- 7 after described. 7

- To bring any printer to printing position, the head 100 is turned until the clutch mem ber 1120 ofthe desired printer registers with the clutch member 108, then itjcan be oper- The upper end of shaft 104' is larger in diameter where it is journaled in the upper part of the base casting 102 and its upper end is provided with a tongue to fit the Oldham coupling 108. Shaft 104 is journalled near its lower endin a bracket 10213 in the box 102.

A small counter 116 is mounted on each overhead arm 100A of the rotating head 100 and operatively connected to the adjacent die spindle 112; It registers every revolution of the adjacent die and is introduced as a check on themeter. This counter is made with an extra long spindle 116A, Fig. 24. The die shaft 112 has a hole 112D drilled through its entire length and a smaller cross hole 112E drilled near the bottom end at a point which is covered by the sleeve 11213. The counter is securely fastened to the bracket 100E of the overhead arm 100A so that its spindle 116A passes through the hole 112D in shaft 112. A cross hole is drilled in counter spindle 116A in line with cross hole 112E of counter shaft. A small pin 117 is passed through both 112 and 116 which forces the spindle 116A to revolve with the shaft 112. The pin 117 cannot come'out as the sleeve 112B surrounds the hole 112E. The object of carrying this fastening down into the body of the mechanism is to make it impossible to break the connection without having access to the interior ofthe machine,andthis is prevented by. the locks.

' The impression (la vices.

' Above the tablel and suitably placed to produce impressions from the die that happens to be in printing-position is mounted an impression member which may be of any suitablekind and construction, adapted to cooperate with the printer in making the impressions when paper ormail matter, etc. is forced therebetween. As shown the impression member comprises a sector 4, which is provided with a recessin its outer face in which is secured a preferably rubber faced block 4A, whose rubber face 413 is molded to conform to the circumference of the sector 4 and provides the resiliency necessary for producing a clear impression from the printing surface-on the printer- These parts are fully describedin our aforesaidpatent.

The registering mechanism is contained in wh at we termthe meter and in the preferred form of the machine this meter is bodily attachable to and detachable from the machine;

and mechanism is provided whereby when i the meter is properly positioned inthe machine it is automatically operatively connected with the printing mechanism and will register the amount of each and every stamp printed no matter in what order or sequence the stamps are used] or how frequently the stamps are changed in the machine. This resistering mechanism however forms no part of the invention covered in this application and therefore needs no illustration or explanation herein.

The drawings accompanying this description are for the printing upon strips but ohviously can be readily adapted for printing upon letters, checks, tickets and the like. That is, such machines Will be equipped With the same meter and revolving set of printers or dies and the same connections, (locks and other safeguards) between the two. The only essential difference being that one machine prints directly on the letter and the other prints on tape to be attached to bulky packages that cannot be handled by the machine.

It will be obvious that this invention is not confined to the number of printers or dies, or the denominations indicated, but can be modified or simplified as conditions might require, Without departing from the basic principles of the invention.

We claim:

1. In mechanism of the character specified, a rotatable shaft having a bore, a bearing for said shaft, a counter fixedly mounted adjacent one end of the shaft and having a spindle extending into the bore of said shaft, and means fastening the spindle to theshaft at a point within the bearing of the shaft.

2. In mechanism of the character specified, a rotatable tubularshaft, a bearing for said shaft, means for rotating the shaft, a relatively fixed counter adjacent one end of the shaft and having a spindle extending into the shaft and means fastening the spindle to the shaft at a point Within the bearing, said connection being inaccessible unless the shaft is removed from the bearing.

3. In mechanism of the character specified, a tubular shaft, a bearing for said shaft, a printer thereon, means for rotating the shaft and printer, a relatively fixed counter adjacent one end of the shaft and above the printer, said counter having a spindle extending into the shaft and below the printer, and a pin fastening said spindle to said shaft at a point Within the bearing whereby said fastening is rendered inaccessible until the shaft is removed from the bearing.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own, We affix our signatures.

ARTHUR H. PIINEY. JACOB W. OGDEN. 

